Hello everyone from LE Poland and anyone else who may read this eventually,

I can’t believe I’ve been home for just over a month.  It already seems like being in Poland was a lifetime ago, and I miss it a lot.  I had an amazing time in Poland and will never forget my time there.  I won’t lie: teaching this summer was one of the most challenging things I have ever done.  Meeting new people, not speaking the language, making lesson plans, and trying to control kids that just want to have fun can be stressful and frustrating.  But it’s absolutely worth it.  I loved all the Polish people I met; they were so kind and made me feel welcome instantly.  My host family was amazing and I hope that I have a chance to see them again in the future.  Teaching was so much fun.  The staff at my school was so helpful and did anything to make sure I was happy.  My students were adorable and smart, and though they sometimes pretended they didn’t understand the word “quiet” I think they learned a lot and hopefully had some fun.  Teaching taught me a lot about myself, and made me realize that things that seem impossible can be accomplished if you are willing to work hard enough (making 4 weeks worth of lessons).

If I can give one piece of advice for new volunteers: don’t go into the program expecting a vacation.  Expect to work hard, to be exhausted, and to even get frustrated.  But expect to have one of the most amazing summers of your life and be ready to meet people and see places that you will never forget.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to do this this summer…I can’t imagine spending this summer any other way.  I’m sad it’s over, but am glad that there are other people willing to continue this amazing work.

Bye for now,

Matt

pa!

Poland does seem like yesterday although now it has been a month! Looking through pictures makes me miss my host family as well as you guys–I really can’t express how much fun I had with the other LE volunteers, and how much respect and admiration I had for everyone. I just got back from working at a sleepaway camp in Texas for two weeks, and it was pretty fun to use three-syllable words with children and have them understand perfectly. I really do feel that if I survived a month of teaching English in Poland, any sort of new situation for the rest of my life can’t be that daunting. I am so grateful to LE and to ANNA for one of the best summers of my life, and if anyone is reading this who has NOT volunteered with LE before, for God’s sake DO IT!

Love to everyone! Miss you all and I hope you have the best school year ever. Can’t wait to see the DC crew this fall, and to everyone else, if you are in DC, give me a call!

Ginger

Hey guys!

So like everyone else, I still can’t believe it has been a month since we’ve been home.  I swear we just left to go to Poland a few days ago!  Coming home to my air conditioner was nice, but I miss Poland all the time.  I learned so much just by interacting with the people there and getting an insight as to what their lives were actually like.  This summer has definitely been one of the best experiences of my life, for a multitude of reasons.  Firstly, I was potentially considering the idea of going into teaching, and this gave me a small foray into what the teaching world is like.  Secondly,  I was able to experience a completely different culture firsthand, not knowing a word of the language before I got there.  Is there a better way to experience complete cultural immersion?!  I think not.  Finally, I got to meet some really great American (and British!) students too.  Although we all didn’t spend that much time together, we definitely grew close and bonded in a major way.  I miss all of you guys!

So, if you have the opportunity or desire to apply to LE Poland , DO IT!  You definitely won’t regret it.

Nicole

P.S. I’m going back to Poland on October 9th

Thus the end of LE Polska 2009

Hey all,

Michelle here, didn’t think I’d be posting back here, but backed by popular demand…. what can I say?

To put it in a nutshell, my experience in Poland was a true eye opener. I didn’t think I would learn as much culture and life as I have now, not to mention how much of an impact I was to my village and family. There’s a lot more in life that I understand now, as well as multiple perspectives that people have of  their lives. I truly miss my host family right now, and it pains me to know that I won’t be going back anytime soon to visit them. From exploring Krakow to teaching my students, I will never forget my experience there. I’ve always considered a career as a teacher, so this experience really helped me decide if I really wanted to pursue it… hey, you never know, maybe one day you’ll bring your kid in and…. what do you know, I’m teaching your child! I really enjoyed being with my host family, having meals with them (Polish food is absolutely delicious…. and the best part is it’s fresh, straight from the garden or just picked from the farms earlier) and playing these awesome games. I love the traditions of Polish people and how everyone is always so warm and welcoming, no matter what. My experience living with my host family and teaching at the local elementary school will be unforgettable, and I am grateful for having this opportunity to take part in this.

So, like Cassie, I was asked the “Why Poland?” question. I said that I really wanted to be in Europe, and Poland didnt seem random to me. I’ve never been there, and I wanted to experience the place myself. I was also pounded with the question “oh, why not China?” Given my background, knowing the language, the area, it seemed like it was perfect idea, but… I politely said that I didn’t have any interest in going to a country where I’ve already visited. I also deep down wanted to have the experience of going into a country, not knowing a single word of the language, and try to learn from there. I’m really glad that I got a chance to go to Poland, and if you ever get an opportunity to teach or live abroad, seize the chance. It’s life-changing. Going to Poland gave me the opportunity that allowed me to follow a passion of traveling and learning languages and impacting other peoples’ lives about what I know. If I had to leave something on this blog, it would be two things:

1. Follow your passions, whatever the hell they are. My passion was to meet new people, travel to new places, experience new things, and being part of LE Poland gave me that… and so much more.

2. Thank yous to the following people: Mom and Dad, for allowing me to go on this trip, I know it was hard for you to let your daughter travel abroad alone to some foreign country that might as well as be an alien planet to you, I truly appreciate it. To my generous friends who were donated money to this wonderful organization, to my friends and brother for helping me prepare for this trip, to my awesome volunteer friends who made this experience truly unforgettable, to Anna who went through hell and back to organize our trip, and lastly Learning Enterprises for broadening our horizons and our sense of volunteerism in foreign countries.

All the best,

Michelle ^_^v

Hey all!

After being back in the states for about two weeks, I still miss Poland and wish I was there. Having taught in the Bieszczady mountain region, I came to cherish the peacefullness of the area and the relaxed lifestyle that is the norm for most of the inhabitants there. Yes there were moments where I wished there was more than just a grocery store to go to, but being able to wake up, teach, and then have nothing else important going on (biking, getting ice cream, swimming, or talking over coffee isn’t exactly stressful) is something that I miss.

Being one of the only volunteers who speaks Polish, my experience was no more, no less fruitful than theirs. Just different, as I was able to connect with my host family and neighbors in a slightest different way. My host mother and I email back and forth, with her begging me to come for a visit soon so we can grab some coffee and sit in her kitchen chatting about anything and everything…something she normally doesn’t have someone to do with because of her new hotel. Would I go back there? In a heart beat!

I spent my last 12 days in Poland traveling around, going to Wrocław with Anna, the lovely program director, and then visiting my family in rural Eastern Poland. One cousin even lives in a more rural part of Poland than where I taught and I spent 4 nights sleeping in a hay loft! It actually is incredibly comfortable…fresh air, no bugs or mice! You all should try it! Haha. I also visited my second cousins, one of whom is a museum director and took me for a tour of the city he lived in. He also is a reporter and runs a news website and I could do a shameless plug for it, but eh!

If you have a chance to go to Poland and teach, do it! Don’t hesitate! You’ll at first be surrounded by incredible students from all over the US and English, then a caring family, and most importantly, the students. You don’t know what kind of students you’ll get or their interest/skill level, but you will grow to accept what you have. It isn’t always easy, as students start to skip out on you or you feel your lessons aren’t good enough, but don’t get discouraged. Learn from everyday and every person you meet there. It may end up that you  learn more from some of your students than they do from you, but that’s ok. In the end, you all come away with something that you can keep the rest of you life.

Oh, and make sure to leave some time after the program to travel around Poland! You’ll already know some words, be ok with the transportation system (both how it works and the accomodations), so go out there and see some more! Other countries work too P

Shameless plug:  neon.info.pl  

for those of you who want to read up on the news in Krosno and the surrounding villages. )

Pa pa!! (bye bye!)

-Agatha

Hey Everyone!

So it’s been just under a month since I’ve been back in England but it seems like a life time ago that we were all in Poland together. I soon settled back into my lifestyle as it was before I left for Poland, a little too quickly for my liking. The whole experience provided me with so much more than I had ever expected-so many stories and memories that I have enjoyed sharing with family and friends. If you;re thinking about going to Poland next year, do not hesitate to apply-it will provide you with so many new experiences that will live with you forever. Before I went I was apprehensive about being in a country that I didn’t speak the language, and basically knew nothing about. As soon as I landed in the country though, all those worries left me as everyone I met was so hospitable. Good luck to those of you applying, and do zobaczenia (see you soon!) to all the volunteers. Keep in touch! Claire-x-x-

The View from Bieszczady

“Polish Alaska” – that’s how Janusz Krajnik describes the region of Bieszczady to me. Janusz, like many others of his generation, studied Russian and not English in school, but even I am hard-pressed to think of a better description. Bieszczady is a wild paradise with mountainous terrain, packs of bison and wolves, log cabins and even natural oil. During the winter I’m told it even looks like Alaska.

Janusz was the directior of the Jan Pawel II Gymnasium in Tarnawa Dolna, where I taught 60-some students. Equipped with one semester of Polish classes and a crash course in international affairs courtesy of the Elliott School, I’m standing in front of a classroom on Poland’s border with Slovakia and Ukraine, an area that just a few years ago was at the center of some of the world’s grimmest history. Although I can’t attest to the amount of English my students have picked up in four short weeks, I have certainly learned a lot by teaching and living in the beautiful homes, fields, and mountains of the Polish Alaska.

-Will

Czescz All!

I can’t believe that its already been close to a month since leaving Poland.  Reintegrating into American culture was suprisingly easy–so much so that it almost seemed like my experience had been a dream, a wonderful dream.  I regaled my friends and family with stories of Poland and teaching, but of course it was impossible to fully describe my experience to them.  I think that that is something that everyone should tell you about culture shock–a lot of times there simply aren’t the right words to relate your experience to others, and many times even your own friends and family are only interested in the cursory descriptions, rather than the millions of minute details you could give them about everything ranging from varieties of meat to games to play within the classroom.

Last week I went to a bonfire that one of my best friends family was hosting.  Her family is of Polish ancestry, so I brought them back a bottle of Polish vodka. Within minutes we were passing around the bottle of vodka with a shot glass to cheers of Nasdrowie!  It immediately brought me back to the many nights I spent with my host family around the campfire doing the exact same thing. It made me realize that I can bring Poland with me everywhere–I learned so many customs, traditions, and recipes (I made pierogi’s by hand for all of my friends last week and they turned out wonderfully!) that I will always be able to recreate my favorite things about Poland with the people I love here.

To all of the prospective volunteers for next year, I urge you Dont think twice about choosing Poland!  To say I had an amazing experience is not even the half of it.  I think a lot of us didn’t have expectations, or didn’t know what to expect about teaching or about Poland.  I hope you get to find out for yourself next summer

To everyone else–I miss you! Krakow reunion 2010?  Can we get our same tour guide?!

Dowidzenie (I think that’s how you correctly spell Goodbye?)

-Mariah

Goodbye?! :(

I had an amazing time in Poland this summer.  amazing.  I learned things that could never be taught in a textbook, made some great friends on the other side of the world, and acquired some fabulous stories to tell.  :)   My experiences blow having a typical summer job out of the water.  I have been writing in my own blog throughout my time in Poland.  Take a look at it:

http://escapadesbymle.blogspot.com

If you are reading this blog and considering LE Poland for 2010, I have two things to tell you: 1) Go for it – I was weary of what might happen once I was stuck 7,000 miles away from home for five weeks.  I am so glad that that didn’t stop me.  2) I am jealous.  :)

I hope that this is not goodbye for good to Poland and LE … no, it can’t be.  What a great 5 weeks!

-Emily

One last post

It’s hard to believe that it’s all over. I’ve had such a hard time figuring out how to respond in a meaningful and concise way when people ask, “So, how was Poland?” I don’t even know where to start — the other volunteers, Krakow, teaching, my host family, the language, the food, the beautiful landscape. I’m so grateful to have participated in LE. I even found out that I like teaching small children And, my boyfriend and I are definitely going back to Poland next summer. Last week, he and I used the pierogi and sernik recipes my host family had given me — yum! And I sent photos of me cooking to my host sister — I’m sure they’ll get a laugh out of it.

I definitely hope to stay connected with LE, though I’m not quite sure what that will be. I’m toying around with the idea of being PD next year — hopefully that will happen. And I’m looking forward to going to LE information sessions and encouraging other students to apply.

I guess that’s all for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the rest of their summers back in the States! <3

-Katie